When Ramon Foster left the field during one of the first practices of training camp, B.J. Finney immediately stepped in to his guard spot and got to work while Foster is out.
That meant another player had to quickly step up as well.
Rookie R.J. Prince.
"Before he got hurt, I was with the threes," said Prince. "From then I have been with the twos. It's a lot more reps and more opportunities to show what I can do.
"I have to prove myself with every rep. Every rep is an opportunity to show everybody what I can do. I can't take any rep off. I have to give it my all every rep. It's what I have to do from now on. It's what I am going to do."
Prince, a 6-6, 311-pound rookie free agent from North Carolina, has caught the eyes of many during camp, and while it's still early on with only one preseason game under his belt, offensive line coach Mike Munchak likes what he brings to the table.
"Great kid. Great size. Very good attitude," said Munchak. "Playing both guard and tackle and doing a good job adjusting between the two. A nice, physical, good looking guy, adjusting to what we are doing. Everything is there – size, strength, long arms, desire. So far, so good.
"He has the physical tools, now it's the speed of the game. You get in a game mentality and have to adjust to the guys next to you. He has a lot of potential. Now it's seeing his technique, how he competes in plays."
The versatility of playing both guard and tackle is something that will definitely play in Prince's favor. Coach Mike Tomlin has made it no secret that he likes 'position flexibility,'
"I am getting everything down. I have been at both guard and tackle and it's going well," said Prince. "It's good to have versatility in this league. You can play a lot of spots it opens more opportunities for you. It's always good to have.
"I just have to keep working and learning. If I know my stuff, if I am at guard I can help the tackle and center with assignments. That means we aren't going to fail. If everyone is on point and together it runs a lot smoother. Knowing everybody stuff really helps."
Take a look at photos of the Pittsburgh Steelers 12th day of training camp.
Fitzgerald Toussaint
A 2018 Preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday August 9th 2018.
Brian Allen and Damoun Patterson
Mike Hilton
Darrius Heyward-Bey
A 2018 Preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday August 9th 2018.
L.T. Walton, Tyson Alualu, and Anthony Chickillo
Roosevelt Nix
Antonio Brown
Joe Haden and Antonio Brown
David DeCastro
JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Hilton
Chris Boswell and Kameron Canaday
Christian Scotland-Williamson
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Keion Adams
Matthew Thomas
Antonio Brown
Cameron Heyward and James Conner
James Washington
Coty Sensabaugh
Antonio Brown
Christian Scotland-Williamson
Bucky Hodges
Antonio Brown
James Washington and Malik Reaves
Brian Allen
Antonio Brown
Jesse James
James Washington
Dashaun Phillips
Bucky Hodges and Farrington Huguenin
Antonio Brown and Artie Burns
Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Bucky Hodges
Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Pharaoh McKever
Vince Williams
Keith Kelsey
JuJu Smith-Schuster
James Conner
Jordan Dangerfield
Terrell Edmunds
Chris Boswell and Antonio Brown
Kameron Canaday and JuJu Smith-Schuster
Joe Haden and JuJu Smith-Schuster
Juju Smith-Schuster
Jaylen Samuels
Roosevelt Nix
Jerald Hawkins
Mike Hilton
Damoun Patterson
Trey Griffey
Joey Porter
Vince Williams
Quadree Henderson
Alejandro Villanueva
Stevan Ridley
Antonio Brown
Ben Roethlisberger
Bucky Hodges
Marcus Tucker
Marcus Tucker
Keion Adams
Antonio Brown
Camp Life: The Steelers are in the home stretch of training camp. The following is what is still remaining for camp practices that are open to the public. The team will also host the Family Fest on Sunday, Aug. 19 at Heinz Field.
Steelers Training Camp Schedule:
Sun., August 12 - 2:55 p.m. (Open To Public)
Mon., August 13 - 2:55 p.m. (Open To Public)
Tues., August 14 - 2:55 p.m. (Open To Public)
